Apparatus for emptying drums containing very thick lubricants or other viscous materials



Jan. 11, 1938. E. PIQUEREZ 2,105,160

APPARATUS FOR EMPTYING DRUMS CONTAINING VERY THICK LUBRICANTS OR OTHER VISCOUS MATERIALS Filed Dec. s, 1936 2 Sheets-$heet 1 IALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 11, 1938. E. PIQUEREZ APPARATUS FOR EMPTYING DRUMS CONTAINING VERY THICK LUBRICANTS OR OTHER VISCOUS MATER Filed Dec. 8, 195

, III

Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR EMPTYING DRUMS CON- TAINING VERY THICK LUBRICANTS OR OTHER VISCOUB MA France December 17, 1835 10 Claims. (Cl. 221-74) Hitherto for emptying drums containing lubricants which are very thick or contain fiber, movable pumps 01' various types have been used which are generally provided with a suction tube immersed in the lubricant, and require for satisfactorily eifecting this operation, the use of a follower piston filling the whole cross-section of the drum to force the lubricant towards the intake orifice of the immersed tube at the bottom of the drum as the lubricant is drawn off.

But, when the drums are not absolutely cylindrical, or when their lateral surface has corrugations provided for stiffening, the use of such a follower piston is impossible and the emptying takes place in a very deficient manner. Very often, the suction through the immersed central tube causes in the first place the formation about said tube end of a blind air pocket surrounded by a mass of grease which flows away with dimculty so that the pump then not only sucks in grease but also air,

The present invention has for its object a novel apparatus which enables the drumsto be satisfactorily emptied whether they have a smooth or a corrugated wall, without necessitating the use of a follower piston.

' The apparatus according to this invention can be either applied to or removed from a drum at will, or else it may be applied within the drum, in which case it is removable only when the drum is empty. The apparatus is essentially characterized by a bag or pocket made of flexible material which is impervious to air and to the lubricant or other viscous material, provided with means for receiving compressed air in such a manner that when it is in the drum, it can be inflated gradually, thus displacing and driving out the lubricant towards the outlet orifice of the drum and finally conforming to the inner 4 shape of the latter.

In a first embodiment, the bag is combined with an immersed tube which passes through it lengthwise at both ends, the lower open end or orificeof said tube serving as an outlet orifice of the drum.

To effect in this case an absolutely satisfactory emptying, the said bag is preferably made of a substance which is not only flexible, but also extensible, such as rubber. Furthermore, in this case, and this is an important feature of the invention, the thickness of the said bag will be less at its upper part than at its lower part and the thickness will preferably gradually increase toward said lower part so that the bag first takes the inner shape of the upper part of the drum, that is to say first drives out all the upper portion of the lubricant and then acts gradually like a follower piston to press out the lower portion.

The apparatus is advantageously provided with a lid to close the upper opening of the drum.

To prevent the air pressure from tending to blow away the top of the bag and the lid, the latter will be gripped, by any appropriate means, at the edge of the opening of the drum.

Finally, the said lid will be advantageously secured to or formed with a bell shaped portion adapted to enclose the folds formed by the upper part of the bag when the immersed tube is introduced into the full drum.

In another embodiment, adapted to be used with a drum from which the upper end head has been completely removed, a canvas bag is used which has the shape of the drum and is folded at rest in bellows fashion and is enclosed in a part forming a drum cap which carries the immersed tube on which the lower end of the said bag can slide hermetically, whereas the said cap is provided with a coupling for connection with a source of compressed air. In this case, the lower end of the bag will advantageously be'maintained rigid by a metal plate.

In a third embodiment, the bag which is arranged beforehand that is to say before filling the drum with lubricant, at the bottom of the drum, is provided with an air connection, whereas the upper end of the drum is provided with a simple opening or with an outlet pipe.

The accompanying drawings show, by way of example, various embodiments of the apparatus for emptying drums, according to the invention.

Fig. 1 is an elevation half in section of a first embodiment.

Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic vertical sectional views showing-two other embodiments.

As. seen in the drawings, in the embodiment of Fig. 1, the apparatus has an immersed tube i, which has it its upper end a connection or a cock or any other connecting or distributing means, not shown, whereas it is freely open at its lower end where side ports la are provided for the inlet of the lubricant to the tube, the lower end being adapted to abut against the bottom of the drum.

Said tube is very loosely surrounded by a bag 2 made of flexible, and preferably extensible material which is, impervious to thlubricant and to air, such as rubber. Said bag, which is dimensioned so as to enable it to take up the inner capacity of the drum, is securely fixed by any appropriate means to the lower end of the tube i, for example by clamping a collar 2a of said bag between the tube and a ring 3, which collar is turned inwardly and held by a flange lb of the tube I. At its upper part, the bag or pocket 2 is fixed indirectly to the tube l. Its collar 2b is clamped between two conical walls of a male part 4 mounted on the tube and of a female part 5 which is vantageously extended by a bellshaped portio 6 adapted to enclose the folds 29 which are formed by the upper part of the bag,

when the tube is introduced into the full drum 1". The bell 8 also forms a closure for the drum and it is provided for this purpose with a flange I, which bears on the beading 8 which surrounds the opening of the drum.

The part 4 is for example soldered at 9 on the tube l thereby ensuring sealing and fixing at the same time. Instead of this, a stufling box could be provided in the part 6 and the stuffing box cap could be held in any manner.

At ll there has been shown on the outside of the drum a connection with a retaining valve, which enables the apparatus to be connected with any source of compressed air: pipe, pump, garage tire pump, etc. connection opens into the inside of the pocket or, bag 2 which is intended to be inflated like a balloon to drive the lubricant towards the lower orifice of the outlet tube I.

To prevent the air pressure from causing the apparatus to rise at the outset, hooking means is provided between the lid 7 and the upper end of the drum, said hooking means comprising for example a plurality of pivoted projections II which are operated by means of handles l2.

To enable the pocket 2 to fulfil its function under the best conditions, its upper part from A to B is given less thickness than from B to the lower end C, so that the portion A--B is inflated first and takes up from the outset the shape of the upper part of the drum.

It will even be advantageous to make the thickness gradually increase from B to C, so that finally as the introductions of air charges .occur the bag will behave like a-iollower piston, taking up as it expands, the successive shapes indicated in chain dotted lines in Fig. 1.

According to the embodiment of Figfl, as the drum F has its removable upper head entirely removed, the apparatus comprises a frame 20 forming a drum cap having a recess 2| in which is lodged a bag 22 having the shape of the drum and folded like a bellows. The lower end of said bag is preferably stiffened by a metal plate 24 provided at its centre with means such as a sliding gripper 25, for hermetically sliding on the emptying tube 26. The latter in its turn hermetically passes through the upper end of said bag and that of the cap 20 where it is fixed.

The cap is finally provided with a connection 21 opening into the'bag 22 for supplying compressed air.

In operation of the apparatus of Fig. 2 when it is desired to extract lubricant, an air pipe is connected to the connection 21. The bag expands and its expansion causes a rectilinear displacement of its lower end which drives the lubricant towards the orifice of the emptying tube 26.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the canvas bag 30 which has the shape of the drum and is folded asin the previous case, is lodged at the bottom of the drum before fllling with the lubricant. The end of the bag that is in contact with the grease is made rigid as before by a metal plate II. The other end is provided with a threaded coupling 32 to receive on the outside a compressed air supply connection. Before manipulating the drum, said flange can be closed by a plug. a

The upper end of the drum is provided with a simple opening or preferably with a pipe 33 through which the lubricant will be driven out as displaced by theinflation of the bag.

The invention is not to be considered as-limited to the embodiments herein described and illus- The inner orifice of the trated except as specified in the appended claims, but includes all other modifications ensuing from the principles of construction.

I claim: I

1. Apparatus for emptying drums containing very thick lubricants or pasty materials, comprising a bag made of flexible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, and adapted when inflated to fill the drum and displace the material therefrom, a

tube hermetically passing through said bag, said tube having its lower part outside the bag, said tube having an inlet opening in its lower part outside the bag, and also at its upper part an outlet opening, the bag and drum constituting an assembly adapted to engage in a drum through an opening in the drum, so that the lower opening of the tube comes near the bottom portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being adapted to be hermetically connected with the drum at the opening thereof, and means for supplying compressed fluid into the bag.

2. Apparatus for emptying drums containing very thick lubricants or pasty materials, comprising a bag made of flexible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, and adapted when inflated to fill the drum and displace the material therefrom, a tube passing through the said bag, said tube being hermetically connected with said bag at its two ends, said tube having, outside the bag, at its lower part an inlet opening and at its upper part an outlet opening, said bag and tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage in the drum through the opening in the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube comes near the bottom portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being adapted to be hermetically connected with the drum at the opening thereof, and means for supplying compressed fiuid into the bag.

3. Apparatus for discharging material of thick consistency from drums, comprising a bag made of flexible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, and adapted to fill the drum when inflated so as to displace the material therefrom, a tube passing through said bag and provided outside the latter, at its lower part with an inlet opening and at its upper part with an outlet opening, the said bag being hermetically connected at its upper part with said tube, and having, at its lower end, a ring adapted to slide hermetically on the tube as the bag is inflated, the bag and tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage .in the drum through an opening of the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube is at the bottom portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being hermetically connected with the drum around the opening therefrom, and means for supplying fluid under pressure into the bag.

4. Apparatus for discharging thick materials from drums, comprising a bag made of flexible and extensible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, the thickness of said bag increasing from the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube is at the bottom portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support be ng hermetically connected with the drum around the opening thereof, and means for supplying fluid under pressure into the bag.

5. Apparatus for discharging thick materials from drums, comprising a bag made of flexible and extensible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, the thickness of said bag increasing from the upper part towards the lower part, said bag being adapted to fill the drum when infiated, a tube passing through the said bag and being hermetically connected to said bag at its two end portions, said tube having, outside the bag, at its lower part an inlet opening and at its upper part an outlet opening, the bag and the tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage in the drum through the opening in the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube comes on a level with the bottom of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being hermetically connected with the drum around the opening thereof, and means for supplying compressed fluid into the bag. a,

6. Apparatus for discharging thick fluid from drums, comprising a bag made of fiexible and extensible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, the thickness of said bag increasing from the upper part towards the lower part, said bag being adapted to fill the drum when expanded and displace the material therefrom, a tube passing through said bag and provided outside the latter, at its lower part with an inlet opening and at its upper part with an outlet opening, the said bag being hermetically connected at its upper part with said tube, and having at its lower portion, a ring adapted to slide hermetically on the tube as the bag expands, the bag and the tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage in the drum through the opening in the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube comes at the bottom portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being hermetically connected with the drum around the opening thereof, and means for supplying compressed fiuid into the bag.

7. Apparatus for discharging drums containing thick lubricants or pasty materials, comprising a bag made of flexible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, and adapted, when expanded, to fill the entire capacity of the drum, a tube hermetically passing through said bag, said tube having an inlet opening at its lower part outside the bag, and having an outlet opening at its upper part, the bag and tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage in the drum through an opening in the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube is at the lower portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support beinghermetically connected with the drum at the opening thereof, said support forming a bell adapted to contain, the folded bag and a connection fixed on said support for supplying compressed fluid within the bag.

8. Apparatus for discharging drums containing thick lubricants or pasty materials, comprising a bag made of flexible and extensible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, the thickness of said bag increasing from the upper part towards the lower part, said. bag being adapted when expanded to fill the drum and thereby displace the material therefrom, a tube passing through the said bag and to which it is hermetically connected at its two ends, said tube having, outside the bag, at its lower part an inlet opening and at its upper part an outlet opening, the bag and the tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage'in the drum through an opening in the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube comes at the bottomportion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being hermetically connected with the drum at the opening thereof said support forming a bell adapted to contain the folded bag, and a connectior fixed on said support for supplying compressed fiuid within the bag. a

9. Apparatus for discharging drums containing thick lubricants or pasty materials, comprising a bag made of. flexible and extensible material which is impervious to air and to material con-- tained in the drum, the thickness of said bag increasing from the upper part towards the lower part, said bag being adapted when expanded to fill when it is developed the entire capacity of the drum, a tube passing through said bag and provided outside the bag, at its lower part with an inlet opening and at its upper part with an outlet opening, the said bag being hermetically connected at its upper part with said tube, and having at its lower end, a ring adapted to slide hermetically on the tube as the bag expands, the bag and the tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage in the drum through an opening in the latter, so that the lower drum of the opening of the tube comes at the lower portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being hermetically connected with the drum at the opening thereof, said support forming a bell adapted to contain the folded bag, and a connection fixed on said support for supplying compressed fluid within the bag.

10. Apparatus for discharging drums containing thick lubricants or pasty materials, comprising a bag made of flexible and extensible material which is impervious to air and to the material contained in the drum, the thickness of said bag increasing from the upper part towards the lower part thereof, said bag beingadapted when expanded to fill the entire capacity of the drum, a tube passing through said bag and provided outside the latter, at its lower part with an. inlet opening and at its upper part outside the bag with an outlet opening, the said bag being hermetically connected at its upper part with said tube, and having, at its lower end, a ring adapted to slide hermetically on the tube as the bag expands, a metal bottom lining the bottom of the bag, said ring being secured to said metal bottom, the bag and tube constituting an assembly adapted to engage in the drum through the opening in the latter, so that the lower opening of the tube comes at the bottom portion of the drum, a support for said assembly, said support being hermetically connected with the drum at the opening thereof, said support forming a bell adapted to contain the folded bag, and a connection fixed on said support for supplying compressed fiuid within the bag.

EMILE PIQUEREZ.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,105,160. January 11, 1938.

EMILE PIQUEREZ It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 61; claim 5, for the word "therefrom" read thereof; page 5,

second column, lin 55, claim 9, strike out the words "drum of the"; and

that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

signed and sealed this 26th day of April, A. D. 1958.

Henry Van Arsdale, v(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

